In our continued study of Acts, we have come to Acts 3 and our text for today will be verses 19 through 26.
! Last week, we looked together at Peter's second sermon, the beginning of it at very least, and we ended at verse 19.
And we saw that like his first sermon, which we see in chapter 2 of Acts, this sermon was preceded by a miracle.
The first time by the disciples speaking in many different languages, this time the healing of a lame beggar.
And these miracles were meant to give confirmation to the message that was about to be preached.
God sets the stage. In fact, we see in this sermon that Peter and John are headed to the temple to pray.
Verse 1 of chapter 3, his intention was not to go to the temple to preach.
They encounter this man and this miracle is performed and a great crowd gathers to them.
Now, this sermon that he preaches follows the same format of his first sermon.
And, beloved, it's important for us to remember as we observe the Apostle Peter, who was such a high point in redemptive history,
such a man to carry the gospel to these people that we are all called to be preachers of the gospel of Christ
amongst our neighbors and our co-workers and our classmates.
And so we need to pay attention to the content of these sermons.
Same format.
He first exalts Christ.
He second, indicts his listeners, calls them guilty.
And he third, calls his listeners to repent.
Last week, as we looked at the beginning of Paul's, excuse me, Peter's second sermon,
he exalts Christ through five names given to Jesus.
First, his servant and then the name itself, Jesus.
Verse 13.
He calls him the holy and righteous one.
Verse 14.
The author of life.
Verse 15.
And Christ.
Verse 18.
18.
And all of these names are meant to draw his Jewish listeners' minds to all of the things that the Old Testament had to say about who the Messiah,
the anointed one of God, was to be.
This is what they longed for.
They were waiting for this Messiah.
And they wanted him to come and they wanted him to establish his kingdom as the Old Testament had promised.
They wanted him to deliver them from Roman rule, which the Old Testament had not promised.
They wanted another David to restore the glory of Israel.
And the kingdom comes in a much, much different way than they expected.
And they rejected Christ as the Messiah.
They didn't meet.
He didn't meet their expectations.
And so Peter goes on to indict the listeners.
Verse 13.
Speaking of Christ, Peter says to them,
Whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate when he had decided to release him.
Pilate was going to let him go, but you denied him in the presence of Pilate.
Again, verse 14.
But you denied the holy and righteous one.
Verse 15.
And you killed the author of life.
You didn't understand Jesus to be who he is.
And you had him put to death.
And then he goes on to call his listeners to repent.
And we just touched on that last week.
We ended with verse 19.
Repent, therefore, and turn back that your sins may be blotted out.
And he goes on then to expand on this call of repentance as the summary of his sermon on this day.
So this morning we're going to pick up at verse 19.
And we're going to observe together the necessity and the nature of repentance in this conclusion of Peter second sermon.
So I'll begin reading in verse 19.
But before I do, we remind you, this is God's word to us.
It was written for his glory and for our good.
We would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
Verse 19.
Repent, therefore, and turn back that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send the Christ appointed for you.
Jesus, who heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
Moses said, the Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers.
You shall listen to him and whatever he tells you.
And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.
And all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and those who came after him also proclaimed these days.
You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, and in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.
Now, as we look this morning at the necessity nature of repentance, I'll frame our study in the following ways.
Number one, four prompters toward repentance.
Four prompters toward repentance.
How does God work to bring about repentance in his people?
And secondly, four results of repentance.
What are the blessings that accompany repentance?
So four prompters, four results.
But before we get to those particulars, it must be said that all people everywhere are called to repent.
As we consider repentance this morning, as we talk about what it means and what marks it, how it is that it comes to pass.
You need to sit and you need to consider.
Have you ever repented?
Have you ever truly been sorrowful for your sin and turned away from it and turned to Christ?
Have you ever truly embraced him for the salvation of your soul?
And secondly, if you have, if you're found in Christ, do you need now to repent?
The Christian life is a life of repentance.
Beloved, we go on repenting, turning from sin and turning to Christ, embracing him in greater and greater degrees.
So have you ever and do you need now to repent?
God's design is that all people repent.
Acts 1730.
Paul preaches the times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
The core message of Jesus is preaching revolves around three commands, just three.
They all revolve around these three.
Number one, repent of your sins.
We're talking about this morning.
Repent of your sins.
The second and third are love each other and your neighbor and go and make disciples.
We could say we could sum that up to say, repent of your sins and lovingly help others do the same.
Repent of your sins.
Love each other and your neighbor.
Go and make disciples.
This is what Jesus came and preached.
The very beginning of Mark's gospel, chapter one, verse 15.
Jesus begins his ministry by saying the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, repent and believe in the gospel.
But what does it mean to repent?
There could be many misconceptions about this.
Verse 19, Peter says to them, repent, therefore, and turn back.
The Greek word here translated repent literally means, simply means to change one's mind or purpose.
Repentance.
The repentance is a turning away from sin, recognizing the way in which it grieves the Lord, turning away from it and turning toward Christ.
Placing faith in his person and his work, recognizing that you need his righteousness and you need him to take the punishment of God for your sin.
It's weightier than just a simple intellectual decision.
And decisionism runs rampant in our churches these days.
A presentation is made to you.
You are pressed to a decision.
And I hope that the majority of those who are pushed in this way do come to faith.
I'm afraid that's not the case.
We need to repent properly in order to be saved and to repent and to not then change the way in which you live.
It's not repentance at all.
John McArthur says this.
I quoted it to you last week.
Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change in behavior.
And this little phrase in the beginning of verse 19, turn back, adds to that meaning.
Repent, therefore, and turn back.
Turn back to what?
Back to God.
Back to the creator.
Right?
To live in a way that pleases him.
Some translations render that phrase be converted.
And the Greek word can mean that.
And I've read many cases this week suggesting that that's the proper identifier for it to be converted.
But we know that God is the one who converts.
That God is the one who changes hearts.
That sends his spirit into the body of men in order to believe.
And the verb is an active verb.
I heard a preacher I respect deeply this week say that it's a passive verb.
And I thought, how fascinating.
If you don't know what that means, if it's active, the...
Excuse me, my brain just blanked out on my grammatical language.
Not the object.
The person acting.
Let me just say it that way.
The person acting in the sentence...
Don't yell it out at me because it'll get my brain all frazzled.
The person acting in the sentence...
If it's active, they're the one doing the action.
If it's passive, the action is being done to them.
Okay?
You catching that?
So again, pastor I deeply respect said that it's a passive verb,
which would mean that the activity is being done to the individual.
In that case, I think converted would be the proper way.
But it's not.
It's an active verb.
And I wrestle with that.
I won't bore you with the detail of it.
But it is, in fact, active.
So I think turn back is a better way to understand this.
And what Peter's trying to say to them is that you must repent.
You must show sorrow.
You must be apologetic for your sin.
And he's bounding on to that.
He's adding to that extra meaning to say that we have to turn to God.
Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change in behavior.
And it's illustrated beautifully in a parable that Jesus taught in Matthew chapter 21.
This is verses 28 through 31.
Jesus said,
A man had two sons.
And he went to the first and said,
Son, go and work in the vineyard today.
And he answered the son,
I will not.
But afterward,
he changed his mind and went.
And he went to the other son and said the same.
And he answered,
I go, sir,
but did not go.
Which of the two did the will of his father?
They said the first.
Jesus said to them,
Truly, I say to you,
the tax collectors and the prostitutes,
go into the kingdom of God before you.
What he's saying to them is those who recognize their sin,
who are not self-righteous,
righteous,
who initially say to God,
I will not.
But afterward,
change their mind and their behavior
are the ones who are accepted into the kingdom.
The first son not only had a change of mind,
but a change in action.
Repentance is a redirecting of one's life
in light of the grievous nature of their sin
and the goodness of God to them in Christ.
So the call this morning from Peter's sermon
is for all people everywhere to repent.
And there are four prompters,
at least four prompters toward repentance.
Four ways in which God works to bring about repentance.
The first one is knowledge of the truth.
Knowledge of the truth.
The knowledge of God's revealed truth
is meant to lead people to repentance.
It serves to that great end.
That truth is given to us in the Bible.
God's revealed truth.
Do you recall the story of the rich man and Lazarus?
The rich man is suffering in hell
and requests of Father Abraham
that Lazarus be sent to preach to his brothers.
Remember this story?
What did Jesus say?
Happens in the story.
Luke chapter 16, verses 27 to 31.
And he, Jesus said,
excuse me, not, I'm sorry.
The rich man said,
and he said,
then I beg you, Father,
to send him to my father's house.
For I have five brothers
so that he may warn them
lest they also come into this place of torment.
But Abraham said,
Jesus is telling the story,
they have Moses and the prophets.
He's saying if they have the scripture,
let them hear them.
And he said,
the rich man,
no, Father Abraham,
but if someone goes to them from the dead,
they will repent.
He said to him,
if they do not hear Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be convinced
if someone should rise from the dead.
The truth of God
is all that's necessary
to bring people to repentance.
Repentance, right?
Worked in them by the Spirit of God.
Peter's called to them,
repent, therefore,
and turn back, right?
Why?
The therefore, right?
You hear it asked.
What is the therefore?
Therefore,
why should they repent?
In light of the truth
that Peter has just preached to them, right?
He's exposed their sin.
He's indicted them for killing Christ.
For having an improper understanding
of the Son of God.
The knowledge of the truth
is meant to expose our sinfulness
in order to drive us
to our knees in repentance.
In our text,
Peter is calling to his listeners
to repent for the very first time.
But as I said before,
repentance does not cease
when we are saved.
Beloved,
the truth still works in us
to drive us to repentance.
The Christian life
is a life of repentance.
We continue to repent
because we continue to sin.
Someone thinks they've ceased sinning.
They're a liar.
They need to repent of that.
The front of your bulletin,
Spurgeon quote,
the true penitent
repents of sin against God,
and he would do so
even if there were no punishment.
When he is forgiven,
he repents of sin
more than ever,
for he sees more clearly than ever
the wickedness of offending
so gracious of God.
The idea he's presenting to us there
is that those of us
who have repented once,
who have believed in Christ,
and have seen God's gracious work
in our lives,
repent all the more
because we pursue holiness,
because we cast off sin,
but we pursue holiness
as a grateful response
to what he's done for us.
The Christian life
is also a life
of bringing about repentance
in others
by the proclamation
of that same truth.
Peter is doing so here.
He's been using the Scripture,
although he hasn't directly cited it,
but all of these names
of Christ,
all of these names
that are given to Jesus
draw his listeners' minds
to the text,
constantly drawing them back
to the Scripture
that they had in that day.
Paul says in Romans 1.16,
For I am not ashamed
of the Gospel,
for it is the power of God
for salvation
to everyone who believes,
to the Jew first,
and also to the Greek.
Right?
I'm not ashamed
of the preached message,
the truth of Christ.
And we are to share that truth.
Whatever may come,
Jesus suffered and died
to bring about repentance.
Maybe one of the great problems
with the church
in America today
is that we're afraid
of what may come
if we preach
the truth.
We don't want to suffer
like Christ.
I read a statistic this week
that the average
conversion ratio
in Southern Baptist churches
is 86 members
to one baptism
per year.
This is the average.
It's shameful.
John 13.16,
Jesus said,
Truly, truly,
I say to you,
a servant is not greater
than his master,
nor is a messenger
greater
than the one
who sent him.
At the end
of Peter's
second sermon,
you guys know
what happens
to these two?
Peter and John
arrested
and put in jail
overnight.
Last Monday evening,
I was helping the boys
get ready for bed.
They were in their room
and I'm down on my knees
helping Judah
get his pajama pants on.
And Judah says,
and it was so precious
when he said it
until I realized
what he meant,
Dad,
I want to be like Jesus.
My heart began to melt.
And then he said,
I want to be able
to walk on water.
Okay.
Okay,
so Judah's my,
if you don't know,
Judah's my
just-turned-four-year-old.
Kate is my
almost-six-year-old
going on 15.
And he says,
no, Judah,
you don't want
to be like Jesus.
Jesus was nailed
to a cross
for our sins.
to which Judah
kind of pensively
looked off
into the corner
of the room
and he said,
I kind of want
to be like Jesus.
And then he said,
I want to walk
on water.
And the whole thing
was so precious
and cute
and enjoyable
in the moment.
but then I
very quickly realized
how often
I act that way.
I kind of,
I kind of want
to be like Jesus.
I kind of want
the benefit
and the blessing
of being like Jesus
apart from the suffering.
Beloved,
the benefit
and the blessing
does not come
without the suffering.
those who want
to live godly
in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted.
A second prompter
for repentance
is sorrow
for sin.
Sorrow for sin.
God brings about
and uses sorrow
for sin
to lead people
to repentance.
Listen to this.
Paul writing
2 Corinthians 7
verses 9 and 10
as it is,
I rejoice
not because you
were grieved
or sorrowful,
but because
you were grieved
into repenting.
For you felt
a godly grief,
that is a
God-given grief,
so that you
suffered no loss
through us.
For godly grief
produces a repentance
that leads
to salvation
without regret.
Whereas
worldly grief
grief
produces
death.
So the sea
is drawing
a difference
here for us.
There's a godly grief
that leads
to repentance.
That's the kind
of sorrow
we want to
experience
for our sin.
Whereas
there's a
worldly grief
that produces
death.
It just
keeps up for us
guilt
and it's never
solved.
And we have
to be very
careful,
friends,
that we don't
equate sorrow
with repentance.
That you merely
feel bad
about your sin
and you assume
that that is
repentance.
Godly sorrow
produces
repentance.
Godly sorrow
drives you
to your knees
at the cross
of Jesus Christ.
Godly sorrow
that produces
godly repentance
turns us
away
from our
sin.
Have you
ever been
grieved by
your sin
only to
quickly commit
the same
sin again?
In quick
succession,
the same
thing over
and over
again?
Then you
didn't repent
of it to
begin with.
You didn't
turn away
from it
and turn
to God.
Now,
I'm not
suggesting that
we have a
huge list
of all
possible sins
and we
commit a
sin and
we repent
of it
and we
check it
off because
we're never
going to
commit that
one again.
Things come
up and cycle
through our
lives to be
sure.
But I
watch so
many people
just so
broken over
their sin
only to
turn and
do it
again.
Almost
immediately
to do
it
again.
Many of
you don't
repent
well
or don't
repent
at all.
sorrow for
sin
brings us
to
repentance.
We have
this weight
that's placed
upon us.
If you
properly
understand
your sin,
this guilt
that you
bear.
What does
Peter say in
the last part
of verse
19?
Repent,
turn back,
that your
sins may
be blotted
out,
that they
may be
erased.
It's the
first result
and we'll
discuss more
of that
momentarily.
The third
prompter is
God's
goodness.
God's
goodness is
designed to
lead people
to repentance.
I think
that's caught
up in that
therefore of
verse 19,
repent
therefore.
Why should
they repent?
Because God
is good and
he offers to
all people the
opportunity
to repent.
You remember
what Peter
said in
verse 17?
And now
brothers,
I know
after this
great indictment,
he said,
I know
that you
acted in
ignorance as
did also
your rulers.
And in
saying that
he's not
absolving
them of
their
responsibility.
Otherwise,
he'd have
no reason
in verse
19 to
call them
to repent.
He's not
saying you
were ignorant.
Oh,
well,
he's just
saying you
acted
foolishly.
You wouldn't
have done
the thing
that you
did.
If you
had
known
who
Jesus
is,
he's
offering
them
the
possibility
of
forgiveness.
Correct
your
understanding
about
who
Jesus
is.
Ask
for
forgiveness.
Repent
of putting
the author
of life
to death.
Paul
rebukes
Israel
for
missing
this
point
in
Romans
2
4
says,
Or do
you
presume
on the
riches
of his
kindness
and
forbearance
and patience
not knowing
that God's
kindness
is meant
to lead
you
to
repentance?
We need
to be
very aware
of our
sin.
We need
to help
others
become
very aware
of their
sin.
And at
the same
time,
we need
to remember
the goodness
of God
to us
in Christ.
Fourthly,
fourth
prompter,
final
judgment.
The
promise
of final
judgment
should
lead
people
to
repentance.
If the
other
prompters
have yet
to work,
then the
promise
of eternal
destruction
needs
to speak
to you.
There's
a real
place
called
hell,
and it
will be
horrible.
Verse
22 and
23,
Moses said,
The Lord
God will
raise up
for you
a prophet
like me
from your
brothers.
You
shall
listen to
him
in whatever
he tells
you,
and it
shall be
that every
soul
who does
not listen
to Christ
shall be
destroyed
from the
people.
Will die
forever.
Jesus
will return
and he
will judge
with
finality
and we
need to
preach
about it.
It's not
a popular
thing to
preach about
these days.
We must
warn people
of the
impending
danger.
It's
coming.
It's
sure
that it
will be
here.
There's
a promise
of final
judgment.
People
need to be
aware of
it in
order to
flee from
it to
Christ
for their
salvation.
I
previously
read to
you
Acts
17
30.
Paul's
preaching
the times
of ignorance
God
overlooked,
but now
he commands
all people
everywhere
to
repent.
Hear what
Paul goes
on to say
in verse
31,
because God
has fixed
a day on
which he
will judge
the world
in righteousness
by a man
whom he
has appointed
and of
this he
has given
assurance to
all by
raising him
from the
dead.
God's
overlooked
times of
ignorance.
He's
freely
offering
repentance.
He's
commanding
it that we
would repent
because
judgment
is coming.
It's coming
in Christ.
Christ will
be the
righteous
judge and
he's given
his assurance
of this
by raising
him
from the
dead.
The day
will come
when repentance
will no longer
be an option.
Repent.
So those
are at least
four prompters
that God
uses to bring
about repentance
in his people.
Next,
four results
of repentance.
I'm going to
speed up,
so if you're
taking notes,
try to keep
with me.
Number one,
sins
erased.
Still looking
at verse
19,
that your
sins may
be blotted
out,
blotted
out,
erased.
There is
no longer
a record
of the
wrong you
committed
against
God.
It's been
stricken
from the
record.
Godly
repentance
accomplishes
this.
The book
of Revelation
speaks of
the wrath
of God
being stored
up for
those who
don't place
believing
faith in
him and
that all
of the
wrong
things,
all of
the sins
that they
have committed
have been
recorded in
books.
But not
us,
beloved.
If we've
placed faith
in Christ,
it's been
erased.
Those things
have been
taken out
of those
books.
We'll stand
before him
in the
righteousness
of Jesus,
whole and
perfect
before him.
it's a
precious
thing to
consider
that our
sins are
erased.
God says
in Isaiah
43-25,
I am
he who
blots out
your
transgressions
for my
own sake
and I
will not
remember
your sins.
And later
in Isaiah
44-22,
I have
blotted out
your
transgressions
like a
cloud and
your sins
like mist.
I take that
to mean
that it was
easy for
him to
do.
He was
able to
cast it
away,
return
to me
for I
have
redeemed
you.
In this
day,
the writing
was done
on papyrus.
Ink was
incredibly
fragile.
I'll
bear you
the boring
details of
that,
but it was
very easy
to wet
something
and wipe
out.
This idea
of things
being blotted
out is a
precious thing
for them
to understand.
Paul writes
in Colossians
chapter 2,
verse 13
and 14,
and you
who were
dead in
your
trespasses
and the
uncircumcision
of your
flesh,
God made
alive
together
with him,
having
forgiven
us all
our
trespasses
by
canceling
the record
of debt.
That same
language,
canceling,
blotting out
the record
of debt
that stood
against us
with its
legal demands.
This he
set aside,
nailing it
to the
cross.
Beloved,
it's this
result of
repentance,
true,
God-given
repentance,
that gives
us such
motivation
to repent
again,
to know
that we
are complete
in Christ,
that we
don't now
work for
perfection.
We have
Christ's
perfection.
Our
obedience
is a
response
to
that
perfection
granted
to us.
Some of you
just need to
let that
sink.
You're
forgiven
in Christ.
Stop
acting
like you're
not.
Stop
acting as
if he
needs to
get back
up on
the cross
and die
for today's
sins.
His work
was complete.
If you
believed in
him,
he already
bore
the wrath
of God
for anything
you have
done and
will ever
do.
It doesn't
become a
license for
us to
sin.
If you
think that's
the case,
oh, I'm
forgiven in
Christ,
then you're
not a
Christian.
You haven't
understood your
sin and the
great offense
that it is.
You haven't
really understood
and appreciated
the sacrifice
that he made
on your
behalf and
all of the
blessings that
he's poured
out on you.
If you
understand that,
you respond
in obedience.
Our failure
even to
respond in
obedience in
the day-to-day,
in the moment-by-moment
is because we
so readily
forget the
truth of
how good
God has
been to
us in
Christ.
We fail
to believe
that reality
and it's
out of that
that we're
responding in
our flesh.
And our
new self
has been
delivered,
has been
given
freedom from
our sin.
Paul writes
in Romans 8.1,
there's therefore
now no
condemnation
for those
who are in
Christ Jesus.
What a
precious result
of repentance.
Our sins
are blotted
out.
Secondly,
the coming
of the
kingdom
of God.
The coming
of the
kingdom
of God.
Peter says,
repent therefore
and turn
again,
verse 20,
that times
of refreshing
may come
from the
presence of
the Lord
and that
he may
send the
Christ
appointed
for you
Jesus
whom
heaven
must
receive
until
a time
for
restoring
all
the
things.
The
kingdom
of God
was
inaugurated
began
by the
life,
death,
resurrection
and ascension
of Jesus
Christ.
Christ
came to
earth
as a
baby,
took on
human
form.
The
kingdom
of God
was set
into
motion
here.
The
kingdom
of God
will be
consummated
by Jesus
Christ's
return.
There's
elements,
aspects of
the kingdom
that are
now and
aspects that
are not
yet.
We live
between
those
two
times.
And
with
this
text,
at this
point,
a great
eschatological
debate,
eschatology
is a
study of
end times,
could
ensue.
But I'm
just going
to avoid
it this
morning for
two reasons.
Many
suggest that
here,
Peter's
specifically
referring to
the
millennial
reign of
Christ.
I'm not
exactly sure
what to
think of
the meaning
of verses
20 to
21,
and I
also haven't
quite settled
in on my
eschatological
view.
When is
the
millennial
reign of
Christ?
I think
it's now.
Many in
our vein
of
Christianity
think it's
not happened
yet.
It's a
thing that
will come.
But I'm
not positive.
I've poured
the concrete
and I'm
standing in
it, but
it just
hasn't set
up yet.
I can
always jump
back out
of it
again.
I'm not
standing
firm as
an
amillennialist.
I'm just
not exactly
sure.
And
secondly,
I don't
really think
it's the
pressing
matter of
the text.
I think
it's the
main point.
I don't
think it's
really what
Peter is
trying to
drive at.
And I
could be
wrong,
depending on
your
eschatological
view.
You just
have to
forgive me
for that.
What I am
sure of,
what I'm
confident of,
is that there
are present
day implications
of the
kingdom.
I'm positive
with that.
There's a
now element
to the
kingdom of
God.
And we
can be
sure that
Peter is
saying that
we should
repent so
that refreshing
will come.
The burden
of your
sin will be
lifted from
your back.
I know that
many people in
here like to
go backpacking
and probably
in your first
time out
backpacking,
you packed
way too
much.
I know my
first backpack
was much,
much larger
than it needed
to be and so
I filled it.
Why not?
You could
take as
much as
you wanted
to with
you.
Do you
remember those
times when
you get
into camp
for the
evening and
you've been
sludging along
all day and
you drop that
40, 50, 60
pounds off of
your back and
you've been
going hard all
day and you
feel like you
can fly?
You drop that
weight off?
Just the
relief that
that is?
My mind
goes to the
story of
Pilgrim
Christian and
Pilgrim's
Progress.
You've not
read that.
You need to
read it.
He's got this
burden that's
been lashed on
his back and
that's the
weight of
his sin.
He comes to
the cross and
it falls away,
falls off his
back and he's
so joyous.
There's a
refreshing that
comes by having
the burden of
our sins lifted
from us in
repentance.
Repent so that
you have the
presence of the
Lord with you.
Repent that
one day you
will have Christ
in full measure
at his return.
These are
real things
and present
things and
future things
that drive us
to repentance.
It's a result
of our
repentance.
Third,
result of
repentance,
deliverance
from destruction.
Deliverance from
destruction.
We have the
promise of
final judgment
drives us to
repentance.
prophets.
We're delivered
from that
final judgment
and the
destruction that
follows.
Peter begins to
use the Old
Testament prophets
to speak to
the minds of
his Jewish
audience.
We had got to
do a little
studying at this
point, but they
had it.
It was readily
running around
inside their
minds.
The last part of
verse 21,
about which God
spoke by the
mouth of his
holy prophets
long ago.
And he starts
by using their
very earliest
and most
revered prophet
to do so.
Verses 22
and 23.
Moses said,
The Lord God
will raise up
for you a
prophet like
me from your
brothers.
You shall
listen to him
in whatever he
tells you.
And it shall
be that every
soul who does
not listen to
that prophet
shall be
destroyed from
the people.
Peter quotes
Moses from
Deuteronomy
1815 and
1819 here.
And it's
phrased,
A prophet
like me,
God will
raise up
for you a
prophet like
me,
was understood
in this time
by the Jews,
rightly so,
to be the
Messiah.
They knew
exactly who
Peter was
talking about
when he
quotes Moses
from Deuteronomy
chapter 18.
This one that
you killed is
the one that
Moses was
speaking about.
If you don't
listen to him,
if you don't
repent,
then destruction
is certainly
yours.
But if you
do,
if you do
call or
respond to
the call
of repentance,
you'll be
delivered from
that destruction.
And then
lastly,
blessing will
be realized.
Verses 24
to 26.
And all the
prophets,
the rest of
them,
all the rest
of the
prophets from
Samuel,
the prophet
who followed
Moses and
those who
came after
him,
all of them
also proclaimed
these days.
you are the
sons of
the prophet
and of
the covenant
that God
made with
your fathers
saying to
Abraham,
and in
your offspring
shall all
the families
of the earth
be blessed.
God,
having raised
up his
servant,
sent him
to you
first to
bless you
by turning
every one
of you
from your
wickedness.
I believe
what he's
saying is
that the
gospel has
come first
to the
Jews in
order that
the Jews
and their
believing
and their
going to
the ends
of the
earth
will carry
the gospel
forth.
The fulfillment
of this
promise to
Abraham
and in
your offspring
shall all
the families
of the
earth
be blessed.
We know
that that's
fulfilled
in Christ.
We have
in Luke
chapter 24
verses 45
to 47
a record
of Jesus
amongst the
disciples
after his
resurrection.
He says,
it's recorded
this way,
then he opened
their minds
to understand
the scriptures
and said
to them,
thus it is
written that
the Christ
should suffer
and on the
third day
rise from
the dead
and that
repentance
and forgiveness
of sins
should be
proclaimed
in his
name
to all
nations
beginning
from Jerusalem.
And that's
what we see
happening here.
This blessing
being realized
in the formation
of the early
church.
The blessing
is realized
in Jerusalem
first.
In chapter 4
verse 4
we see that
5,000 men
believe,
respond to
the gospel
call of
Peter.
It's presumed
when it's
recorded that
it's 5,000
men,
that there are
also women
and children
present who
also believe.
So a massive
number of
people respond
in faith to
Peter's second
sermon.
And very
soon the
expansive work
of the gospel
will begin.
Persecution
comes and they
are scattered.
Right?
Within a
generation we
see the gospel
on three
continents.
We're a
result of
that.
Everything
that's happening
here and
the gospel
beginning to
go forth and
the fulfillment
of these
promises begin
with the
repentance of
these people.
Coming to
faith and
launching out
the purposes
of God
in the world.
We live in
this day and
we're still
meant to be
about bringing
this about.
The repentance
of forgiveness
of sin should
be proclaimed
in His name
to all
nations.
It's where
we find
ourselves
today.
So in
Peter's second
sermon we
see Him
as we
should
exalt
Christ.
Indite
His
listeners
and call
His
listeners
to repent.
And so
what do we
do with
that?
It's just
for the joy
of sitting
here for
45 minutes
to an hour
and listening
to me
ramble on
about a
text.
Is that
what the
point of
today was?
I hope
not.
For you,
what do you
leave here
and do
with the
preaching of
God's
Word?
Number one,
repent.
If you
never have,
do so
today.
Listen to
those
prompters
leading you
to the
goodness of
God to
you in
Christ.
Turn from
your sin
and turn
to Him.
If you
are found
in Christ,
if you
have
initially
repented,
consider
how else
you need
to repent.
Truly,
godly
repentance,
turning away
from sin,
pursuing
righteousness.
And secondly,
and maybe
primarily
be repentant
about this,
be about
the work
of seeing
others
repent.
We've been
commissioned
to carry
the goodness
of Jesus
Christ to
those who
are suffering
and dying
around us.
We should
go to the
ends of
the earth,
but we
don't have
to to
preach the
gospel.
Countless
people
around us
that need
the good
news of
Jesus Christ,
that need
to repent.
Let's pray
together.
Let's pray
together.
Let's pray
together.
Let's pray